Lenana

Now living wild, where she is the mother of an ever-growing family

About Lenana

  • Current age

    20 years old

  • Gender

    Female

  • Rescued date

    19 September 2006

  • Rescue location

    Laikipia, Ol Pejeta Conservancy

  • Date of birth (estimate)

    17 June 2005

  • Reason orphaned

    Natural causes

  • Age at rescue

    15 months old (approx)

  • Current location

    Living Wild

Adopt Lenana for yourself, or as a gift

Lenana's rescue

On the evening of 18th September, 2006 we received news that a cow elephant had died on Ol Pejeta Ranch near Nanyuki, and with her was her milk dependent calf, who was desperately trying to awaken its dead mother. This female elephant and her calf had joined a resident herd of others in August, and at the time it had not been noticed that, in fact, she was extremely unwell.

This rescue alert came too late for us to be able to take action that evening, so Batian Craig, the Manager of Ol Pejeta, assigned a guard to keep an eye on the calf during the night, and ensure that it was not targeted by predators attracted to the body of its dead mother or wander away and be unable to be found the next day. The Ranch lies within the foothills of Mount Kenya, whose three highest peaks are named after the famous early Masai Witchdoctor/Chieftains, Batian, Nelion and Lenana. Because of this, and since Ol Pejeta Ranch lies within the shadow of Mount Kenya, we felt it appropriate that our latest little female orphan, who is about 14 months old, be named Lenana.

As usual, at first little Lenana was quite “wild” and aggressive towards the Keepers, but within just a few hours she could not resist hungrily downing her first milk feed offered her by a Keeper, before trying to pin him against the wall! The other eight Nursery elephants were brought in to meet, and comfort her, and that night she slept in what is known as “The Taming Stockade” next door to that occupied by Kora, the biggest boy in the Nursery, who, along with Lualeni (the biggest girl) will soon be traveling to Ithumba to begin his gradual graduation back into the wild system. That night Lenana was exhausted, and slept well, again hungrily downing her three hourly milk ration. She was so anxious to join the others that we allowed her out the following morning, but she was still too afraid of the Keepers to accept her milk out in the bush, and since elephants lose condition frighteningly rapidly, the next day we decided to keep her in the Stockade with two Keepers to work on her and secure her confidence. (Indeed, just that one day without milk had resulted in the skeletal pronounced cheekbones indicative of milk deprivation). After two days in the Stockade with the Keepers, Lenana was out and about happily embraced by the others.

The photographs of Lenana beside her dead mother are courtesy of Ol Pejeta.

Lenana grew into a beautiful female elephant and was moved to the Ithumba Unit in 2008. She went wild with Yatta's ex-orphan herd and continues to roam with them today, visiting the Ithumba Stockades to see the Keepers every now and then.

This rescue alert came too late for us to be able to take action that evening, so Batian Craig, the Manager of Ol Pejeta, assigned a guard to keep an eye on the calf during the night, and ensure that it was not targeted by predators attracted to the body of its dead mother or wander away and be unable to be found the next day. The Ranch lies within the foothills of Mount Kenya, whose three highest peaks are named after the famous early Masai Witchdoctor/Chieftains, Batian, Nelion and Lenana. Because of this, and since Ol Pejeta Ranch lies within the shadow of Mount Kenya, we felt it appropriate that our latest little female orphan, who is about 14 months old, be named Lenana.

Latest updates featuring Lenana

See all updates

Keepers Diaries

View diary updates from across all our orphan units as written by the Keepers

Read more

Lenana Debuts Baby Laki, Her Second Son

It’s a boy! On 15th December 2024, Lenana introduced us to the newest addition to her family — a perfect little son.

Read more

Lenana's Latest Photos

Access the most recent photos featuring Lenana

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Lenana's Calves

Lapa

Lenana could not wait to celebrate her joy at becoming a first-time mum with the people who raised her: still wobbly on his legs, she shepherded him to meet us at our Ithumba stockades on the evening of Saturday 22nd August 2020. With the moon rising in the sky as they arrived, we have chosen the name Lapa for Lenana's first calf, which means 'moon' in Samburu. Read more

Laki

It’s a boy! On 15th December 2024, after an absence of nearly two months, Lenana introduced us to the newest addition to her family — a perfect little son. Read more.

What's included in your adoption?

By adopting, you play a vital role in the life of an orphaned elephant, rhino, or giraffe — helping us provide the round-the-clock, loving attention each one needs and deserves over many years, so they can ultimately reclaim their place in the wild.

Your adoption supports the 100+ orphans in our care at any given time, covering the cost of milk and food supplies, Keepers' salaries, veterinary treatment, and other essentials.

Personalised adoption certificate

Celebrate your adoption with a personalised certificate, ready for you or your lucky gift recipient to print and display!

Monthly updates

Each month, we send a detailed update about our Orphans’ Project direct to your email inbox, featuring photos, stories, and special highlights.

Exclusive content

From the latest Keepers’ Diaries to a downloadable image gallery and more, adopters have exclusive access to our content library.

Do you have any questions?

Please refer to our FAQs for more information on the Adoption Program. However, if there is any specific question that is not on the FAQs page, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to assist you.
FAQs

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